Spike-wave discharges reflect widespread, but non-uniform, cortical hypersynchrony during immobility
Spike-wave discharges (SWDs) are the electrographic hallmark of absence epilepsy, yet direct evidence for their proposed basis in cortical hypersynchrony has been scarce. We addressed this gap by recording neuronal populations across three cortical regions - primary somatosensory (S1), visual (V1), and secondary motor cortex (M2) - using silicon probe arrays in spontaneously seizing C3H/HeJ mice.…
Spike-wave discharges (SWDs) are a key indicator of absence epilepsy, but their relationship to cortical hypersynchrony has been difficult to prove. To investigate this connection, researchers monitored neuronal activity in three cortical areas - primary somatosensory (S1), visual (V1), and secondary motor cortex (M2) - in mice that were prone to seizures.
The recordings revealed that SWDs triggered significant increases in neuronal synchrony, rhythmicity, and phase-locking across all three regions. While V1 and M2 neurons appeared to be more closely synchronized to the SWD cycles than S1 neurons, the differences were not extremely pronounced. The researchers also found that electrical stimulation of both S1 and V1 could either trigger or stop the SWDs, indicating that these brain regions are deeply involved in the network.
Lastly, the team observed that reductions in firing rate associated with SWDs might be due to the mice being immobile during the seizures, rather than the seizures causing the immobility.
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